Profess

German

Alternative forms

• Profeß (superseded)

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin professus.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

Profess f (genitive Profess, plural Professe)

1. (Catholicism) profession (promise or vow made on entering a religious order)
   • 1924, Thomas Mann, Der Zauberberg [The Magic Mountain], volume 1, Berlin: S. Fischer, page 328:

     Wie ein frommer Bruder. Man kann sagen, Ihr Noviziat ist beendet, Sie haben Profeß getan. Meine feierliche Gratulation. Sie sagen ja auch schon ‚unser Speisesaal‘.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Declension

Declension of Profess [feminine]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	eine	die	Profess	die	Professe
genitive	einer	der	Profess	der	Professe
dative	einer	der	Profess	den	Professen
accusative	eine	die	Profess	die	Professe

Noun

Profess m (weak, genitive Professen, plural Professen)

1. (Catholicism) one who has made a profession

Usage notes

• The spelling Profess has been the prescribed spelling since the German spelling reform of 1996 (the Rechtschreibreform). In the affected areas, the previous spelling (Profeß) is now less common, and may be regarded as a misspelling.

Declension

Declension of Profess [masculine, weak]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Profess	die	Professen
genitive	eines	des	Professen	der	Professen
dative	einem	dem	Professen	den	Professen
accusative	einen	den	Professen	die	Professen

Further reading

• “Profess, Versprechen, Gelübde” in Duden online
• “Profess, Ordensgelübde, Novize” in Duden online
• “Profess” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache